Collective bargaining between Deutsche Bahn and EVG will continue next week. Both sides declared that they had worked out “understandings” and “compromise lines”. There should be no strikes until the next round of talks.
The railway and transport union (EVG) and Deutsche Bahn (DB) have agreed on the collective bargaining talks for next week. The negotiating partners unanimously announced this late in the evening. “We negotiated intensively and reached an agreement on many issues,” explained DB HR Director Martin Seiler. “The goal is in sight.”
EVG collective bargaining board member Kristian Loroch also spoke of “numerous compromise lines” that had been worked out. These should now be discussed in detail “with the responsible decision-making bodies” in the union. According to the EVG, work stoppages at Deutsche Bahn are excluded until the next round of talks.
Duration of the collective agreement is a point of contention
EVG and Bahn had actually scheduled their negotiations for five days from Monday – so they should go until Friday. In the last few hours of the negotiations, possible pay increases and the duration of the collective agreement are likely to have been the focus – the two most complicated issues.
The union had already emphasized in an interim report on Wednesday that there was a lot of potential for conflict. After the end, both sides left open the points on which they had agreed and where differences still remained. Nothing was announced about the process and the mood.
EVG described the offer as insufficient
Collective bargaining has been going on since the end of February. Twice, the EVG largely paralyzed rail traffic with accompanying warning strikes. A planned 50-hour strike in May was canceled at short notice after a legal dispute at the labor court in Frankfurt am Main.
Deutsche Bahn offers up to twelve percent more wages for a period of 24 months. For middle-income earners it means ten percent more, for higher earners eight percent more. In addition, there would be 2,850 euros to compensate for inflation later this year.
The EVG had recently described the offer as insufficient, especially for lower wage groups, but was willing to negotiate. The union is demanding twelve percent more wages for a good 180,000 employees, but at least 650 euros more per month for a period of twelve months.